Conservatives Turning Against the Death Penalty

I recently wrote an op-ed for the US Daily Review, an outlet with more than half a million unique hits a month. I addressed the myth that all conservatives support the death penalty, and how it is patently false. I also described how the national dialogue regarding capital punishment is now changing and how we are now a part of the growing national conservative movement. I said, For years I believed in the myth that all conservatives support the death penalty, but like many myths, it’s a work of fiction. As a southern conservative, I initially bought into this falsehood, but as I learned more about the systemic and chronic problems associated with the current system of capital punishment, my views gradually shifted. But I am not the only conservative who is rethinking the death penalty. Numerous national conservative icons are leading the fight against the death penalty and working with my group, Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty (CCATDP). I went on to say, Today’s death penalty process is a failure that has become nearly indefensible. It gives an imperfect government the greatest power of all – the power to take a life, while risking the lives of innocent Americans. It has become a fiscal drain, it does not make the public safer, and it fails to bring swift and sure justice to victims’ families. The many hazards and negative consequences of the death penalty are why so many conservatives are re-thinking their support for capital punishment and why Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty has been welcomed in many corners of the conservative world. This year we are returning to CPAC and we do so knowing that we are a bona fide part of the established conservative world.